Monday, October 03, 2011

COLLECTING VIEWS
Local health officials are proposing to request planning permission for a new super-surgery
for GP services at 481 Walsall Road (on the corner of Perry Park Crescent).
The development would include 58 assisted living dwellings for the elderly.
It will also mean three of our local GP practices move on to the one site:

Tower Hill Medical Centre

Great Barr Surgery, Thornbridge Avenue

High Trees Surgery, Walsall Road.

We've been asking local residents what they think about this and replies have been coming back with a whole range of views.

Here's some pros and cons:

Getting there on foot: harder for many, easier for some;

Getting there by car: many people will have to u-turn at Tower Hill and at Rocky
Lane;

Car parking: may be easier than at Tower Hill, depending on spaces ;

Getting there by bus: about the same as Tower Hill and Hightree. The 51 and 952 stop close by.

Medical services: we're told that some out-patient clinics and other services from hospital may
move there - so this may be easier for some ;

Assisted living homes: this must be a plus for our community;

Improved premises. Great Barr and High Trees are said to need 'major renovation'.

We'll be questioning the developers aat the next Perry Barr ward committee
on Thursday October 13th. It's at 7pm at Perry Hall Methodist Church, Rocky Lane and all are
welcome to come and participate. We'll be looking in detail at traffic implications and what might be done about them.

Councillor Ray Hassall, chair of the ward committee, said: "This will be a massive change in local GP services, which could deliver big improvements, and until recently only a handful of residents had been consulted. There are many issues to consider, especially making traffic access safe.

"There are also a number of people, especially the elderly and disabled, who are concerned they may now find it a struggle to get to their doctor's. We want to know what will be done to help them."

9 comments:

Simon, Great Barr
said...

I think it would be very sad if my local surgery (Thornbridge Avenue) were to close for some so-called super surgery. Don't people think of the patients? If you are ill or elderly, you want to go to a local surgery with a personal touch. A lot of patients don't have cars and it seems ridiculous that you would have to travel quite a distance and then sit waiting in some soulless building. If the surgery does need renovation (and I don't think it does), why not spend the money on the existing one instead of something resembling a supermarket?

It is a shame that local surgeries are going to be closing which makes it more difficult for people to get to the new one.

Also why does the new surgery have to be called TOWER HILL PARTNERSHIP. It is firstly not fair on the surgeries that have had to give up their practice and history to be called TOWER HILL PARTNERSHIP

Also, IT IS NOT ON TOWER HILL so why call it that.

It is a new venture so out with the old and lets choose an independant name that has no link to the surgeries joining the group and call is new taking into consideration the new location.

There has been a lot of concern about the new name and despite the amount of people who are against the new name the people involved in handleing queries about the name are the people who are keeping their name "Tower Hill Surgery"

When approached one excuse for not being able to change the name was because planning permission would need to be re approached costing money. This would tell us that the forms that the name was already chosen at the start and that public voice did not matter. There should be a neutral party involved in listening to comments and complaints rather then the surgery themself.

Not happy my surgery is going to close. I am at Tower Hill and I hate to think that the name is going to follow the surgery. If it is more then one practice joining then it should at least have a new name.Stupid keeping the old name.

I don't intend to move to the new surgery.... It is impossible for me to walk there and I will bet that what car parking there is will be taken up by staff and you won't be able to park on Walsall Road.

As predicted... not enough parking for patients. The full planning has not taken place which included assisted living accommodation and much more parking space. Off street parking for NHS Staff at tax payers expense while the tax payer is forced to walk or use public transport.

Planning permission has now been put forward to have the old surgery a pharmacy again. The planning permission was requested by the new surgery. It was also stated that there be a nursery there too. Firstly there is already the co op pharmacy who we believe the cousin of one of the doctors at the new surgery work there and also with the terrible parking from the Clifton (still is the clifton even though they ripped the name down) on the roads, the ambulance depot, in front of the library it is only a matter of time before someones child gets knocked over.

There are plenty of Chemists in the area. We do not need any more, especially one that is really not needed as about a thirty second walk and you are at the co op. The new surgery has a chemist adjoining it and then you have a very good chemist Star Pharmacy down the bottom of the hill of the Walsall Road.